Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has ruled out the possibility of recalling Odsonne Edouard from his loan spell at Leicester in a damning assessment of the move.
Striker Edouard joined the Foxes on loan ahead of the 2024/25 season – but has only started two games in all competitions.
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Leicester are understood to be considering ending the Frenchman’s loan to make room in January.
However, when asked whether Edouard could be recalled in January, Palace boss Glasner delivered a surprising answer.
“We always follow our loan players,” said Glasner. “But to be honest, especially this week with three games, thinking about Odsonne is not my top priority [Edouard].
“I don’t know anything about the contract details. From our point of view, there is no point in bringing him back because if he doesn’t play for Leicester, why should he play for Crystal Palace?
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“It was the same situation in the summer. Maybe he decided to get more minutes there. We explained the situation. At the end of the transfer window the situation did not change. It’s up to him and his agent.
“If he doesn’t get minutes at Leicester, maybe he’ll find another loan. But it’s not like he’s coming back to play.
“It’s about competition and performance. When you enter into a loan agreement, it is clear what each party wants.
“For Leicester they want a good player who will help them win games. For Oddsone, it’s about getting minutes to improve his performances and score goals. It’s the same with us and when he comes back he’ll be in a better situation than when he left.
“He didn’t have many minutes there, so the situation is even worse when he comes back. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Edouard scored seven goals in 30 games for Palace last season before Leicester completed a loan deal on deadline day.
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However, the 26-year-old failed to impress former coach Steve Cooper – he was limited to cup appearances and was only used sparingly from the bench, occasionally not even making it into the Premier League matchday squad.
Patson Daka has since returned from injury and scored in new coach Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge.
This moves Edouard even further down the list as a replacement for regular striker Jamie Vardy.
Premier League clubs can only have two loan signings at a time – and Facundo Buonanotte, Leicester’s other loanee, has arguably been their standout player this season following his move from Brighton.
Palace have struggled to score goals in the top flight this season after losing star player Michael Olise to Bayern Munich.
The Eagles are 17th in the table with 12 goals from 14 games and only bottom club Southampton have scored fewer goals.